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Abstract

Objectives: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery may receive blood products during the perioperative period. While increasing attention has been drawn to red blood cell transfusions given its associated cost and morbidity, less work has been devoted to other frequently delivered blood component therapies, including platelets. We sought to identify pre-operative determinants and outcomes of platelet transfusion in the setting of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

Methods: Data from 4,574 patients undergoing on pump, isolated, non-emergent CABG surgery between July 2011 and June 2012 were entered into a statewide collaborative database. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess determinants and impact of platelet transfusions, and calculate crude and risk-adjusted odds ratios (OR). Post-operative outcomes included in-hospital mortality, re-operation for bleeding and prolonged (>24 hours) ventilation.

Conclusions: Platelet use was associated with increased odds of morbidity and mortality after CABG surgery. We identified 10 pre-operative factors associated with platelet transfusions. This study enhances our understanding of risk factors for traditionally overlooked yet potentially harmful blood components. Given these findings, future work should focus on identifying practices that may assist in reducing rates of platelet transfusions.